Ted Cruz Got Booed Over Same-Sex Marriage On The Late Show, But Colbert’s Response Will Surprise You

Ted Cruz showed up on The Late Show last night — kicking off a parade of GOP hopefuls who Stephen Colbert will interview this week. (Prepare yourself: Tonight will be all about Trump.) And Colbert isn't playing softball, either. The senator and the host maintained an amiable air, but Colbert went for it with the tough questions. He pushed Cruz to dig into positions on everything from Ronald Reagan to same-sex marriage. Cruz often holds up the former president as a beacon of conservative values — a leader who managed to galvanize Democrats to cross the aisle and encamp themselves in Republican territory. But, as Colbert pointed out, Reagan was more liberal than Cruz often makes him out to be. “Reagan raised taxes. Reagan actually had an amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Neither of those things would allow Reagan to be nominated today," Colbert said, drawing cheers from his audience. "So, to what level can you truly emulate Ronald Reagan?" Turns out: not on many. Cruz conceded that he isn't aligned with Reagan on amnesty or raising taxes, and though he didn't go deep into his platform, he did quickly fall back on a common conservative idea —“live within our means, stop bankrupting our kids and grandkids, and follow the Constitution." And on that last count, he comes down firmly on the side of states' rights — and in semi-opposition to the Supreme Court, calling a certain segment of the bench "five unelected lawyers in Washington." Cruz is still gunning for same-sex marriage to be struck down — at least at a federal level. Last night, he reiterated his belief that individual states should retain the right to decide whether or not same-sex couples should be allowed to wed. The audience began to sound ornery in response, at which point Colbert intervened. "Guys, however you feel, he's my guest," he said. "So, please don't boo him." We think that means this conversation counts, at least, as a gentleman's duel.